Thoughts on Oracle Deck
This is to put together my questions and thoughts about creating my oracle deck. If you have been given this link, please provide your insights where I linked thank you.
Background Info
My cards have one aspect, per deity, per card. This gave me 41 cards out of 15 deities plus a couple concept cards. Since the deities have multiple descriptions, I used different appearances per aspect. These will be meant to speak to the deities, place on the altar during rituals to focus on, meditate upon, and other ritual uses.
As I have worked further with the development I have come to notice I am adding some more aspects to some of the deities who were not well understood in time for the Inktober challenge that gave me the deck so far. So it will be more like 50-60 cards when done depending on the outcome of the meaning question.
Card Layout Ideas
1. Image & name on front, story on the back.
- This does not give a surprise if you look while shuffling/choosing.
2. Image & name on front, back image
- Allows hidden choice, can be fully intuitive, still can read out of the book.
3. Image, name, & keyword on front, back image.
- Allows the hidden choice, gives hint to the meaning, you can use intuition on the word and/or image, further meaning in book. More a beginner's layout.
Meaning Questions
(I do not read reverse meanings nor do I shuffle in a way that makes the cards in differing directions to give indication of a negative or reverse. Alas, some people do and some spreads have the negative influence positions.)
Most aspects have no clear positive or negative meaning but some are very clearly in the pos or neg side with no hope for an opposing meaning.
- eg. Tiamat has an alchemic healing aspect (pos). There is Irkallu, the Underworld, which is just for doing work with the Underworld journey (neutral). Girtablullu uses pain and pleasure to open your consciousness (both). Uridimmu being ultimate and very painful destruction into nothingness (neg). Ušumgallu as kundalini (both).
>>>The big thing throwing me in meanings is a few of them have "give spiritual venom/fire for malice or protection (sometimes it's healing or strengthening for the positive use)." Right now I have that aspect as one card so the positive or negative use of the weapon would be determined by way the person pulls the card. The issue becomes when you shuffle and pull in a way that would yeild no negative turn it may not be the genuine answer. So here are the ideas to solve I have come up with so far:
1. Just let them be as is: the ones with singular meanings be and the one with dual be dual.
2. Force all to have pos and neg meanings. (Potential issue for those who don't use the neg shuffles, etc).
3. Just do a separate card for the positive aspect and one for negative aspect even if it makes a slight redundancy with "gives spiritual fire for malice" then the next card having "gives spiritual fire for protection and healing." (for the amount of crickets I'm hearing, I'm thinking of this one even if it felt redundant to write the "gives spiritual fire for.." repeatedly. There appears to be more clarity this way.)
The Plan
Once I settle on the technicalities, I plan on doing fully deity channeled paintings. Then working the base meanings off of those since the channeled ones will speak to me more than the listed aspects in a book.
As I get further into development I will be making a post with things I've gleaned from the cards and how the aspects are developing. I may even be selling lithos of the paintings to gain seed money to get the cards printed.
Hi Kendra! Finally.
ReplyDelete(1) Card layout ideas. I would go with 3. Name, Keyword, picture and on the back the same design for all of the cards.
(2) Pos/Neg concern - most oracle decks are not red upside down, so I would recommend doing a card for each aspect. Another option, during your channeling, confer with the energy to see how they want to be portrayed.
(3) I have oracle decks from 36 up to like 60 cards, I believe, so your amount will be fine
(4) Another ideal is to have color contrast for the pos/neg or if there is a yin/yang aspects of said energy, you could call on either or.
(5) Another idea, for example, don't worry about the fire/venom being able to be used as pos/negative.... do what you are channeled to do, most of us once we get into tarot/oracle cards, we learn to make our own meanings... since on the spiritual path, we know that challenges are blessings to. With your audience, I am assuming people that have some knowledge on the energy you are using, it should not be hard for them to "get it" or go research these particular energies for more information (that's what I tell my clients actually.. "hey, so and so came up, are you familiar with them, if not, go look them up and see if there story resonates with you?"
I am more than happy to continue assisting you. Again, I apologize for the delay. Congratulations on taking this step!